Led by cutter Gigi Dalcuore – and gradually passing over to his daughter Cristina – the style here is fairly modern Neapolitan in its small, soft shoulder, but tends to be more roomy and comfortable in the body.

It might be a good option for someone that wanted that soft Neapolitan look, but without the tendency of younger cutters to be rather short or tight.

This was the first piece that Dalcuore made for me, back in 2016. I liked the idea of a dark, serious suit that didn’t feel too corporate – and had seen Japanese guys in particular wear brown in that mode.

The cloth, Crispaire 337045 from Holland & Sherry, worked well. It’s very dark without appearing black or grey, and Crispaire remains my favourite summer high-twist cloth for a suit or separate trousers. It breathes well and holds its shape, without the scratchiness of some other hight twists.

The fit of the jacket was good, though there were issues with the trousers (now fixed – full post on that here).

Most importantly, it was interesting to try something that had the soft Neapolitan make, but was a little more comfy.

Unfortunately Dalcuore now travel a lot all round the world, and their travel to London is a little sporadic as a result. I have been able to commission some other things since then though – including a brown soft-tweed suit.

To get into specifics (which is what this series is all about) the shoulder of this suit is fairly small at 5⅞ inches – similar to Solito.

It’s also lightly padded, with just a thin pad in the shoulder. And the shoulder runs into the sleeve pretty naturally, without much interruption at the top of the sleeve, through wadding or anything else.

It’s not strictly speaking a spalla camicia shoulder, as the shoulder is not lapped back, to give the appearance of the sleeve running underneath the shoulder. Instead there’s a standard seam, just pressed flat.

This is a minor technical difference though. For all intents and purposes it is what a customer would expect from a Neapolitan shoulder.

The only thing someone might expect from a Neapolitan jacket, and is absent here, is the excess cloth at the top of the sleeve that causes ripples of the cloth to fall from the shoulder.

This absence is in line with what could be seen as Dalcuores’s fairly conservative style. There is nothing flashy about this cut. It is simple, casual and relaxed.

That relaxed nature can be seen most obviously in the side-on view of the suit, above, and the rear view, below.

The side-on view shows how the back is cut straight, with no suppression in at the waist. And the back one shows the drape below the shoulder blades.

Although it has no drape in the chest, and is fairly suppressed in the sides, it is in the back that most of the comfort of a jacket lies.

The other thing that’s striking about this jacket is the height of the buttoning point.

The waist button is 18 inches from the shoulder seam, where Solito (for example) was 18½ inches, despite being half an inch shorter than the Dalcuore.

You’d expect a buttoning point to be a certain fraction of the total length (though dependent, of course, on the wearer’s proportions) and that therefore that point would get higher as the jacket got shorter – not the other way around.

Today, this high buttoning point looks a little unfashionable, but it’s still close to my natural waist. And it’s worth remembering that little is objective here: a brief perusal of suit styles over the past 50 years will show how much it has varied, from hip in the 1980s to sternum in the 2000s.

Like most things, it’s a question of style.

Elsewhere in this suit, the lapels are cut straight and the fronts open and curved – both standard from a Neapolitan.

The sleeve is fairly slim, and consistent all the way through – not markedly tapered to the wrist.

There is double pick stitching around all the edges, which doesn’t really show up on this cloth.

Despite that, the inbreast pockets are cut straight into the lining. (The pick stitching is a lot of extra work, but decorative; arguably not cutting the pockets into the lining is also extra work, but functional.)

And the canvas is lightweight, with a light wool running down the body and then a heavier layer just in the chest.

Over a couple of years of wearing the suit, I’ve learnt that it looks best with a white shirt, grey or dark tie, and black or very-dark brown shoes.

Here the white poplin shirt is from Luca Avitabile, with the grey-wool houndstooth tie and blue cotton handkerchief from Anderson & Sheppard.

Subscribe to this post

You can follow the discussion on Dalcuore brown suit: Style Breakdown by entering your email address in the box below. You will then receive an email every time a new comment is added. These will also contain a link to a page where you can stop the alerts, and remove all of your related data from the site.

Sorry to say but the proportions of this coat are all wrong. You mention the high buttoning point, but what you fail to mention is that the second buttonhole is HIGHER than your trouser waistband. It’s also about 1/2″ too short on you. And are the trouser bottoms really 15 3/4″?

Hi Toby,
Thanks for the views – let’s skip past the use of ‘wrong’ given it’s so obviously subjective, and move onto the interesting points.
The second button is definitely high, though its distance from the waist button is pretty standard. That height is really driven by the high waist button, which some will like, others won’t.
A high fastening is certainly less fashionable at the moment, and I would generally go for something lower. But, I find it interesting how a lot of tailors will instinctively do this, because they see the chest as being nipped it flatteringly with that higher fastening, and then the longer, flowing skirt being attractive too. It’s a more military look in a way, where jackets would be always belted or fastened that much higher.

On the length, yes another half inch would probably cover the seat better and be more flattering in that regard. It would also make it less casual, but that’s probably more a priority with a casual jacket than with a dark suit like this.

OK understood, but l used the words wrong proportions because the lower of the two buttonholes is higher than the waistband of your trousers, which should never be the case. That single factor throws the whole thing off to my eye.

Simon, this a a very nice suit and I really like that shade of brown. Personally I prefer a slightly higher button stance and the one on your suit looks great. Why did you go with a three roll two rather than a two button? The lapel width is a bit on the wide side for me as I like a 3 3/8 to 3 1/2 inch lapel. Have you ever worn a black shirt with this suit? I think that would be fantastic look as well.

I think the readers need to understand that each house has its own cut and vision of how the suit must fit. Simon tries to show this in this kind of series. So just be careful before pointing out mistakes. Of course in some cases the garment is poor on fit, but on this case the suit seems to match the house DNA.

I would only point out some disruptions on the right back and front. Simon are you slightly dropped right? Maybe that’s the reason and as they work with very thin padding, is quite tricky to fix this kind of shoulder balance.

Hi Simon, would you consider reviewing Tom Ford mtm? I know it’s not exactly what you do here but TF it’s pretty #menswear and it would be nice to know your opinion on design and quality since it’s a pretty popular shilouette.
Anyways, keep up the good interesting articles!

Hi Fernando,
I think it’s unlikely to be honest. The style isn’t bad and the make is good, but it’s really hard to justify that kind of price for MTM, when you can get better-made bespoke that’s cheaper…

Provided you find a tailor whose house cut is similar. Not sure it works well to ask a tailor for a cut that is not his own.
Also, at least in Euros, I find TF suit prices are lower than what it used to be.
Rather than commissioning a TF suit you may just include his windsor cut in the style breakdown series, as so many seem to like this cut and it seems it borrows from various styles.

4000 euros? Ouch. The price hurts when you think Dalcuore was a little and unknown atelier at the beginning of the 2010’s. The entry price was then at 1300 euros for a suit. The Asian wave and the growth of their business went through there. Considering the youngish cut it makes me think to Granata whom I own 2 suits. I largely prefer more manly cuts such as Zizolfi or Paone.

Beautiful suit, Simon. As you mention it, I can see the higher button stance but the long skirt does mitigate and give a very nice line. I imagine the trousers are very versatile as separates but would you wear the jacket on its own, perhaps with a medium grey high twist or does the fabric lack enough texture for that?

My favourite suite is actually a dark brown suit (worsted wool, RTW), perhaps a touch darker than this, though photography can be misleading.

I find the following tie colours all work well for me: blues, navy, olive-green, deep greens, dark greens, reds, burgundy, purples. I’ve personally found the suit colour works with a wide range of ties. I only shy away from browns/oranges and light coloured and desaturated ties.

Could you elaborate on the lapped back shoulder seem you mentioned, which is not included on this jacket? Perhaps you have a visual example? I think I understand what you mean but haven’t seen this detail much.

Fabulous looking suit Simon, truly. The shape and silhouette are just so beautiful; the close and soft shoulders with the tiniest bit of lift of the sleevehead, and the skirt and quarters matching the top half of the suit perfectly. For what it’s worth, I quite like the higher button point in this instance, and think it’s one of the things that make this stand out in its own unique way.

Could you explain what it means that the breast pocket is “cut straight into the lining”? Does that mean that rather than ~1 cm of the rim of the inside of the pocket being wool, it is lining right to the top of the pocket brim? Or am I misunderstanding?

Yes, absolutely. I started with tailors in Hong Kong, as I went there on business, then used Graham Browne a lot, who is based in the City. If you look up Graham Browne you’ll find lots of posts on how that process went

Hello! Thank you for the review, as always. In the future, is it possible to show us how the jacket fits when buttoned and with your arms raised perpendicular to your body? One may find an off-the-rack jacket that will look “perfect” when standing with the arms at the hips, but no off-the-rack jacket will look good when its wearer tries to raise his hands, while keeping the coat buttoned. I think it would be great to demonstrate the fit in such manner. Thank you!

I agree, that is a big difference, and it would be good to do once.
However, these posts are not intended to demonstrate fit, both because that would require the same amount of text all over again, and because it’s almost impossible to do well in photos.

Thank you for the reply Simon! It has always amazed me how Fred Astaire’s jackets look absolutely perfect while he’s dancing around in them with his arms raised most of the time. Astaire’s coats must have had very small armholes and impeccably made shoulders.

Hi Yitao. Ah, ok. Well good to know you don’t like the style of the suit. If you have any more specific comments, please do add them. Being banal doesn’t contribute much.
4000 euros is certainly a lot of money, but it’s hardly unusual for bespoke. You certainly have to appreciate the benefits of fit, form and quality bespoke brings too to think it’s worth the money.

Hi Simon, I find the front balance of the jacket is not good. The front piece is thrown forward. The transition from the chest to the waist is not natural. The wrinkles in the back piece of the trousers make me think the trousers are not cut to your body assuming you stand naturally during the shooting. They look like a pair of rtw trousers. From the style aspect as mentioned by others, I cannot appreciate the buttoning stance and the position of waistband.

Thank you Yitao, that’s great.
Definitely appreciated on the high buttoning point. On the fit, I’d hesitate to judge those kinds of points off a few static photos like this. For example, a small lean backwards and the trousers will immediately look like a poor fit.
We could spend ages getting me in the perfect position to make the fit look good, but that would not be honest. It would be more like a ready-to-wear shoot.

About buttoning position : many Sarto Napoletano consider that they jackets remain unbuttoning 95-100 % of wearing ( and practically its true). So I think dalcuore suit looks better unbuttoning as well.

Simon,
You commented on the trousers not being quite right at the start and they look to still have some drape issues in the back. Have you ever found a jacket maker (and referring specifically to the Neapolitans you have used) that you would use but if doing a suit, have the trousers done be Cerrato or another trouser maker?

No, I’d only use a separate trouser maker probably if I wanted extra finishing or details not offered by the tailor. Sometimes tailors don’t focus much on the trousers, particularly if they are outsourced, but it’s rare you don’t get what you want in the end

Ciao Simon . The biggest problem of Sartoria dalcuore and alike is that you never really know who actually made that suit. They largely outsourced they suits from another Sartoria (usually very chip one). I would feel foolish if dalcuore outsource my suit for 700 € and sell me 4,000 €.

I’m afraid that’s just not try Timofey. Dalcuore have grown a lot in recent years, and the last time I visited them in Naples I visited both the cutting and the tailoring. Some is certainly still outsourced, but they have 20+ people working for them.

Oh it’s grate that 20+ person now work for them . But even bigger question arising : who actually made al these thousands suits for last 5 years as soon as they open bigger Sartoria only 1 year ago ? Let’s be honest Simon – Dalcuore showed Teatro to all overseas customers))). 90 % of that suits actually made by another Sartoria’s . But again it’s grate that dalcuore start produce more by themselves)))

Very informative series on Dalcuore. The drape in the back, which makes a lot of sense in terms of comfort, really kills the profile and back silhouette to my eye. This plus the mistakes on the trouser (which still looks a bit short to me) and the high button stance makes the 4000 euros an untenable expenditure.

Do you have a sense, Simon, of how cutthroat a business bespoke tailoring at this level is? E.g. the variance, I suspect, is great, but what’s the average wait time for a new customer to one the european tailors you’ve featured?

Hi Ben,
There isn’t really a wait time at most houses – they may be slightly more or less busy, but they’ll take new customers any time.
Or do you mean how long does it take from start to finish to have something made?

Lots of (constructive) criticism on the suit. Gentlemen’s Gazette used to ask readers to upload photos of themselves on Facebook and no matter how good they looked they always got criticised from the width of the tie to the break in the trouser, it’s why I stopped following, everyone is an expert on style and fit.

The big questions really are: are you happy with the suit and would you buy again?

This article prompts a question I have been meaning to raise for a while: whilst you continue to explore the corners of Italian bespoke design does the search actually deliver the silhouette that best enhances your frame, build and personal style? Consider that the Sartoria Panico grey flannel seemed to win ‘the best’ reviews from readers whilst the Dalcuore raises mixed feedback. I understand that part of the journey is based on an exploratory search of style but it is only a snapshot of the current offering. You might think these are enduring but certainly across the last forty years what is considered stylish has varied greatly. So, whilst the series is, in some way, slightly selfless, in that it discovers and displays various styles for the reader what it does not do is explore the quality of response to the needs of your own frame. Therefore, as readers we are, occasionally, dissatisfied by the result due to the silhouette being less than it might be, particularly when there are so many other, often better, PS examples by comparison. Moreover there is, within the Italian ouevre, a similarity of style within regions that renders redundant deeper exploration through contrast and compare (more similar than dissimilar). I wonder if a juxtaposition of styles might have been a better path to deliver the understanding of each house style other than bracketing by region.

Interesting points. Yes I certainly think the journey would have been different were the aim just to find styles that I found flattering and that suited my lifestyle. At the same time, those ones do tend to be the ones I use more than once, eg A&S.

On Panico, it will be interesting to see what the reaction is like when we do this studio series on that suit, warts and all, rather than in a glamorous club. Its back seam is even starighter and more shapeless than Dalcuore.

Lastly on the order and contrast, yes you could perhaps reorder these pieces, to present the biggest contrasts first, then the next order of detail and so on. I elected to start at the second level, to present all the styles in around 8 suits, and then to go into greater detail – as we’re now doing with the Neapolitans.

Finally, just to say we will circle back and include this level of detailed contrast for all regions, eg Cifonelli to compare to Camps, and Sexton to compare to Chittleborough, for example

Would you ever consider doing a suit from Graham Browne in this series? I realise you have moved on in your sartorial endeavours from the early days, and are focusing on houses with a higher degree of handwork. But I fancy that there are many readers who would be interested in seeing the differences in cut/style you get when upping the spend from entry-level bespoke, and so including GB or the like would perhaps help facilitate this.

I see very mixed reviews about the Dalcuore suit. As I said in a previous comment, a 4k euros price seems too much for the final product. Nevertheless the flaws can certainly be explained by a limited number of fittings. It’s a typical failure related to trunk shows and traveling tailors who can’t work in a TS like they would do locally in Naples with much more focus. Often Neapolitan traveling tailors can’t afford much more than three travels (one for the measurements and first contact and the two others for the fittings). The growing model is even a one fitting shot (to lower the price). It’s a sort of semi-bespoke process. Even with a lot of experience and mastering, it’s very difficult to achieve a perfect fit with a such limited tryings on a first suit. If I remember well the first piece of Simon on the suit, it took two fittings to get to this result. By the way, I worked with 3 different neapolitans tailors and in spite of a great results with the jacket, minor flaws always appeared with the trousers.

Thanks David, interesting thoughts.
I did have two fittings on this, yes, and Dalcuore could do more. But having said that, I’ve also had two fittings on subsequent pieces, with an established pattern, and in Naples.
I think it’s hard because, yes on average more fittings will lead to a better result. But at the same time, some tailors (eg Joe Morgan) genuinely need more fittings to work the way they do than others (eg John Hitchcock).

I certainly would not be happy to receive this suit in exchange for 4K euros.

Even allowing for distortion in the photos, the button positioning is off, the jacket too short and the trousers also.

When you collect a finished commission like this, do you actually challenge the tailor on such obvious problems, or do you just accept what you get?

It often seems that readers pick up on what seem to be less than acceptable outcomes, which you are often inclined to defend, but l don’t remember you actively counselling newcomers to bespoke to reject a 4K euro suit which is very clearly flawed.

As ever, I try to present a fair and balanced view of any of the commissions – I’m not defending or attacking. I do this particularly because such discussion is so rare online, and I’m afraid your comment demonstrates that. Saying the button positioning is ‘off’ is not helpful or accurate. It’s a style. Fashion brands have had buttons a lot higher historically. Just say if you don’t like it. That applies just as much to the jacket length.

On the more interesting point of whether I would ever reject something, yes I’ve often challenged tailors on problems, and there have been discussions of jackets where there have been serious issues like that. Formosa was one – that ended up just being rejected. Robin Petterson/BN Tailor was another. Some others have gone back for an extra fitting because of issues. Or indeed been worn for a few weeks, then come back to be tweaked once I was sure about something. That’s often a good route to take.

Perhaps it’s worth a fuller post on that topic at some point, with some helpful examples.
Rejecting a suit because the buttoning point is too high though, would just be silly. Particularly as you would have seen its position throughout the fitting process. If anything, I find newcomers overthink some points in tailoring, and don’t separate things that are up to them (eg cloth, lining, trouser length) from those that are a matter of style (to a certain extent buttoning point) and which they should have considered before making the commission.

I agree that rejecting a suit because the buttoning point is too high AFTER it is finished would be silly, but it should never have got that far in the first place.

I had my first bespoke commission in the late 60’s and have worn nothing but ever since. Fashion ebbs and flows, but on a 2 button coat having pocket flaps and the lower button so high relative to the top of the trouser has never, in my experience, been the way to do things.
My point is that readers with little or no bespoke experience might look at this suit and think it’s something to aspire to.
Don’t they deserve better?

Thanks Michael.
I’m not sure if you’ve tried many different tailors around Europe, but a buttoning point this high is not that unusual. Indeed, that’s one of the benefits of this series. You can see that some other Italian tailors, and not new ones either, do it this way.

And it should be a guide for those new bespoke customers, to see whether they like the style before they go to a tailor. Because it’s not going to radically change during the fittings.

If they’ve seen the style of a tailor, and commissioned on that basis, then no they should not be able to reject the suit just based on a style point like that.

Dear readers, please don’t attract Gigi dalcuore, he was not making this suit . This suit actually made by outsourced sartoria (I know exactly which one))). Dalcuore pay them 700 € for the suit , for this real price it’s wonderful product.

I think Michael to be correct in his observations. Why? The button point, at its highest (on two button SB) should not be higher than the natural waist. Indeed it should signify this point. If it is higher then the waist looks to be part of the rib cage – clearly a ridiculous assertion. One can discuss style etc. but this design does not suggest style, just incorrect proportion. Combined with the high lapel I think the tailor wished to raise the shoulder and chest to seem more powerful. However, when one compares to C&M suit jacket, Caraceni herringbone or Rubinacci Donegal the silhouette is inferior. The trousers are a little too short in the images, though in actual wear they may lower to a better position. This point is clear in the side and rear images. I agree that variations on style should feature but I think to some readers the silhouette lacks good proportionality and thus stands outside of this aesthetic metier.

Thank you, nice points.
Just to say, the waist button is actually on my natural waist, but at the highest point of it, just under the ribs.
I was actually having an interesting discussion about this point last week with Michael Browne. We considered that there is about two inches of variation in where a button could be placed and still be considered on the natural waist.

The position of the top button should be at the natural waist; that all seem agreed on. Normally that would be about 1” above the belly button. In your pictures it appears to be about 1” below the bottom of the sternum, which simply makes it too high.

But the fundamental point is this; the positioning of the button has a big impact on the length of the lapel. Shortish lapel with high buttoning point means no shape, Just a lot of “middle”. Longish lapel with well placed button makes for lots of shape. This jacket has no shape to talk of.

I have to agree with a number of your contributors who, rightly in my view, find little of merit in this fit.

Thanks, and you’re right the buttoning point certainly affects the lapel length. Personally I prefer a longer lapel too. Some regional styles do have it consistently shorter though – see Vestrucci and Liverano, for example.

I am (already) looking for an autumn suit in Brown therefore I’m researching fabrics. “Charcoal Brown” looks interesting but searching for fabric yields no results and I wonder if anyone has a view or any lead on suppliers of this type of fabric.

Forgive me if you have gone over this anywhere in the past, I’ve been a follower for a while but I’m still playing catch up.

Do you have any idea how this suit style differs from the Dalcuore model for Bryceland’s?

I got a chance to try on some of the RTW at the store a few months ago but did not have the time nor the funds to get fitted and have something made.

I now enjoy the Neapolitan type cuts with less structure because of my build. I have short arms, I’m not very tall, but have a strong chest and shoulders, and a high-ish drop so really minimal structure makes me look like a refrigerator.

Not at all.
The Brycelands cut is different in a few ways, such as the shoulder size and lapel shape. The make is the same, but I wouldn’t go off my suit in assessing whether you’d like a Brycelands one

I saw you sold your Dalcuore navy seersucker suit. As I was considering a similar navy seersucker commission for next summer, I was curious what didn’t work for this suit, the fabric or the cut? Thanks.

Would you consider using a fabric of this colour or dark brown worsted fabrics in general appropriate in a corporate/ formal business environment? Personally, I have always felt that dark brown suits can look very smart, but can make the wearer come across as being someone who is very fashion-conscious.
(We do see the occassional brown suit wearer here in Japan.)

Hey Jay,
I think dark brown can be very smart too, and I would wear it in that scenario. But it really depends on what your particular business scenario is like. If absolutely everyone else is in navy and grey, and you’re not senior enough to perhaps express a bit more personality, then you might still stick out too much.